Where does the name Boolean Girl come from?

Where does the name Boolean Girl come from?

What is a Boolean?

We frequently get asked these questions. In fact, there was a great blog post that recently asked this question as well. We decided that it was time to explain why Boolean Girl.

A Boolean expression in computers is actually derived from Mathematics, in particular logic expressions. Boolean logic is a form of algebra in which all values are reduced to either TRUE or FALSE. As computer science evolved, Boolean logic became a key concept as the True and False constructs were used with the binary numbering system—each bit has a value of either 1 or 0 – a True or False

We use Boolean expressions, or operators, all the time. For example, OR, AND and NOT are key boolean operators in math, and also computer programing. We use these operators all the time in search engines. An example of a Boolean search would be Cats and Dogs. This search would find pages about both cats and dogs.

We use this concept in computer programming too, including Scratch. In Boolean Girl, we visually match Boolean Expressions with the elongated diamond shaped Sensing and Operator blocks.

For example, the touching block in this script is a Boolean expression.

It is either true that the sprite is touching the MiniMonster sprite or it is false.

The operators block “Less Than” is another Boolean Expression Block. It is either true that some number is less than another number or it is false.

Boolean Expressions are the primary building blocks of most programming languages. They are simple, but powerful tools. We think of Boolean Girls as providing young minds with the building blocks they will need to be successful programmers, engineers or a success in any pursuit.